About Natural Resources

The Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate (NRSS) develops, disseminates,
and utilizes the tools of natural and social science to enable the National Park
Service to fulfill its core mission: the protection of park resources and values.
The directorate provides leadership, expertise, and scientific support such that
the natural resources of the National Park System are unimpaired for future
generations.

—DOI Departmental Manual, Chapter 6

With most of its staff located in Fort Collins and Lakewood, Colorado, and Washington, D.C.,
the NRSS provides scientific and technical support to national parks for
the management of natural resources. The directorate oversees the following programs: